Victor Oladipo, Pacers Beat 76ers; Joel Embiid Posts 40 Points, 21 Boards
The Indiana Pacers stormed back from a 10-point halftime deficit to extend their winning streak to six Friday night with a 113-101 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Thaddeus Young (26) and Bojan Bogdanovic (18) combined for 44 points to lead the Pacers' comeback efforts.
Victor Oladipo struggled to get much going at the offensive end in his second game back from a knee injury, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting. But Domantas Sabonis continued to show his value off the bench with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Joel Embiid shined again for the Sixers with 40 points and 21 rebounds for his NBA-leading 26th double-double of the 2018-19 season. Ben Simmons chipped in 18 points, nine boards and four assists, while JJ Redick added 22 points.
Victor Oladipo, Pacers Must Improve Dismal First-Quarter Play
The Pacers are playing with the proverbial fire in the first quarter this season.
They came into Friday's clash 25th in the NBA in scoring margin during the opening period, according to TeamRankings. They then watched as Philadelphia raced out to a 10-0 lead en route to a 34-24 edge when the quarter came to a close.
Oladipo shoulders a lot of the burden in turning that troublesome trend around.
As Embiid showed, a team's best player must show up when his squad needs him most. Instead, the 26-year-old Indiana University product failed to take charge for the Pacers early on. He took just four shots with one make in 10 minutes during the first quarter.
Part of that can be attributed to getting back to full speed following the knee injury. It's not fair for Indiana to expect him to be in top form already.
That said, the Pacers' problems in the opening frame have been a season-long problem, even before the shooting guard's absence. Friday's game showed the issue hasn't gone away.
Indiana has continued to win games and remains firmly in the race atop the East, so its first-quarter struggles haven't threatened to derail the campaign. But it's an area the Pacers will need to improve as the year goes on because it's not easy to consistently play from behind.
Joel Embiid Building Strong NBA MVP Case
Embiid has found himself on the fringe of the MVP conversation so far this season. Most of the attention has gone to the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, Toronto Raptors' Kawhi Leonard and New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis.
The 24-year-old Sixers center showcased Friday why he deserves a place much closer to the forefront of that discussion.
Embiid came out firing on all cylinders in the first half with 28 points and 14 rebounds. He made nine of his 15 shots from the field and nine of his 12 free-throw attempts. ESPN's Tim Bontemps pointed out the superstar virtually outplayed the entire Pacers starting lineup:
Here's a look at some of his best moments from the opening 24 minutes Friday:
Embiid faced a heavy burden against Indiana, another Eastern Conference contender; Simmons didn't have his best night, and Jimmy Butler was sidelined because of a groin injury. His performance illustrates why he's one of the NBA's best and most important players.
That doesn't come as a surprise. He's been a pillar of stability for the 76ers as they overcame a sluggish 9-7 start to the campaign and welcomed Butler into the fold. He entered the clash with the Pacers seventh in the NBA in Value Added, per ESPN.com.
But the deep MVP field leaves him little margin for error. Antetokounmpo, James, Leonard and Davis, along with the Golden State Warriors tandem of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, are building their own resumes, and it's possible another contender or two emerges in the coming months.
Embiid has the talent and numbers to beat all those marquee names out at season's end, though. His play Friday, especially in the first half, put that on full display.
He's just going to need some more help from his supporting cast to keep the Sixers near the top of the East to prevent those other MVP hopefuls from getting a sizable team record edge.
What's Next?
Philly is set to embark on a two-game road trip with visits to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
The Pacers kick off a busy stretch of five games in eight days Sunday when they return home to battle the struggling New York Knicks.
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